A night had passed at the eting place.
From dawn, I woke to enjoy the morning air.
I wasnt the only one like this.
Perhaps because of the tension, many mbers of the Red Flas were up, stretching their bodies.
Perhaps they were preparing for the fights that would start today.
I too stretched and road around the Red Flas camp.
Checking on the mbers and gauging the mood.
As I wandered, I encountered rcenaries from a distance.
Especially since Turo had provoked , the rcenaries of the Arak group grew arrogant, attempting to lock eyes with in a challenge.
...
I didnt pay much attention.
It was just a bit annoying.
I ignored them and made another round of our camp.
As I walked along the border of the Arak group camp, I spotted a familiar face.
Vice-captain Berg...!
Upon seeing my face, she hurriedly spoke.
As if she had much to say.
...
Behind her stood Turo.
He tilted his chin up, looking down at with arrogance.
I bowed my head in greeting to Captain Shifre.
And then proceeded on my way.
Lets talk...!
But Shifre stopped .
The mbers nearby began to pay attention.
I dryly said to her, Speak.
Shifre, in response to my comnt, requested.
There are many eyes here, can we find a more private place?
I shook my head.
Lets talk here.
Turo sneered at my response.
Are you worried about facing us alone, Vice-captain Berg?
Shifre frowned.
...Turo.
Turo, unphased, continued to provoke .
Since I will avoid the area, why not have a conversation with the captain without worries?
...
I didnt react to his words.
I stared at Shifre once more, reiterating the sa statent.
...Lets talk here.
Shifre went silent at my refusal.
She then glanced at the Red Flas mbers and her own troop, gauging their reactions.
She stood frozen for a while before finally letting out a sigh.
...Ha.
...
Forget it.
She then blurted out informally, her expression twisted in frustration.
... This coward human prostitute. I was trying to be considerate.
Afterwards, she turned her back and left, not hiding her anger.
Turo, even as Shifre turned away, lingered, glaring at for a long ti.
Eventually, he let out an exasperated sigh.
Then, he turned to follow Shifre.
****
Arwin had another nightmare last night.
The sa recurring nightmare she had at regular intervals.
The World Tree approaches and stretches out its roots.
As soon as the roots touched her, she felt intense pain.
Feelings of helplessness and guilt overwhelm her.
In that mont, there was not a single person to help.
Yet at the end of this dream, a man always appears.
....!
Arwin groaned, waking from the dream.
Beside her, Berg was looking down at her with concern, though Arwin wasnt sure when hed arrived.
...Youre awake?
Whether Berg had shaken her awake from the nightmare or not, his hands were resting on Arwins shoulders.
Arwin no longer hid this familiar, yet embarrassing routine from Berg.
...Yes.
There was nothing left to hide, at least not from Berg.
Berg took a cloth he had brought and wiped the sweat from Arwins exhausted forehead.
Arwin, feeling the refreshing touch, didnt even think to stop him.
Before she knew it, she had surrendered to the touch, feeling every move of those hands.
She tried to calm her racing heart and regulate her breathing.
Being by Bergs side made her feel as if all her worries had flown away.
Being with him, Arwin was experiencing unique emotions.
Especially during this rcenary eting, her thoughts were tumultuous.
She had lived longer than anyone else in this space.
Yet, she couldnt comprehend why everyone was fighting so fiercely for their brief lives.
Did they not realize they might die in the process?
...In that regard, the hardest to understand was Berg.
After all, it was Berg who never avoided the fiercest battles.
Arwin couldnt forget the way Berg had challenged Gallias.
They had talked about it before, but Arwin still couldnt understand the reason Berg beca a rcenary.
As Arwin felt Bergs touch, she suddenly asked, Berg.
Hmm?
Perhaps because it was morning, or perhaps because of the nightmare.
It was a mont where she felt she could be candid.
She revealed her innermost thoughts, perhaps out of place with the mood.
...I dont understand why everyone is fighting like this.
You dont have to understand.
Accepting his words, Arwin spoke again.
...Berg?
Tell .
The thing Ner said... I want to say it too.
Arwin knew how Ner felt about Berg, but she found herself agreeing with her sentint.
Even if provoked, is it necessary to fight?
...
Choosing not to fight that Minotaur yesterday seed wise.
Would Berg lose if he were to fight the Minotaur?
A battle between a human and a Minotaur.
On paper, the odds didnt seem in favor.
Yet, with Berg... it felt like he wouldnt lose.
But the realm of possibilities was vast.
Hadnt Berg defeated Gallias?
She wished he wouldnt take risks where the outco was uncertain.
She hoped the comforting touch on her wouldnt disappear.
After wiping away all the sweat, Berg gazed at Arwin for a long ti.
Then, using his bare hand to brush her hair off her forehead, he whispered.
...Ill see.
****
Berg left for the eting hall with Adam.
Ner took a deep breath and spent her ti at the shelter in the middle of the camp.
Arwin was by her side, and other mbers were there, guarding them.
...
Perhaps it was because it was the second day, but the atmosphere felt even more ominous than yesterday.
Ners anxious eyes scanned the camps periphery.
Nurous rcenaries were looking at them.
The Dalsaseum group, with its many mbers, and the Arak group, where Turo who provoked Berg belonged.
Baran, guarding them, spoke.
...If you need anything, just let know.
Ner nodded.
In truth, there was only one thing she wished for.
...She wished Berg was by her side.
Amidst the myriad rcenaries, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread and unease.
Bergs presence was more palpable than ever.
Hey, white-tail!
Then soone shouted.
.....
At those words, Ners heart dropped.
Her tail involuntarily coiled.
A side glance revealed a fierce altercation erupting between the mbers of Red Flas and the Dalsaseum group.
Hey! Saw that? You bastard, co out!
I was minding my own business, assh*le! Still, try if you dare!
In an instant, a fight broke out between Red Flas and Dalsaseum mbers.
Seeing this, Ners heart raced uncontrollably.
It was the first ti shed witnessed a fight erupt because of her.
Gradually, she beca acutely aware that she was among the rcenaries.
Things she hadnt noticed before, primarily because Berg was so different.
Shawn, beside her, expressed his concern.
...Ner-nim, ignore them.
To which Ner responded,
...Yes. Im trying to.
But she felt like she was lying to herself.
She was mustering the strength Berg had told her to harness, but it wasnt easy.
Soon, a Red Flas mber fighting on her behalf was overpowered and defeated by a Dalsaseum mber.
Their shouts grew louder, their montum increased, and the defeated Red Flas mber groaned in pain.
From the start, there had been inherent disparities among the group.
This only made Ners heart shrink further.
At the sa ti, she gritted her teeth. She loathed the reality of being humiliated by commoners in this place.
Yet, paradoxically, she longed for Berg more than ever.
She yearned for his scent and the warmth of his embrace.
The fights werent only breaking out where she stood.
Even among the Arak group, who had provoked Berg, fights erupted.
All the while, the insults persisted.
Not sure whose wife she is, but shes a looker and I love it!
Look over here! Acting pricey in a place where she was sold.
Nearby rcenaries seed to have coordinated their insults, hurling derogatory comnts in their direction.
Berg had warned it would be tough, but this was beyond what shed imagined.
Not only Ner, but Arwin also seed to be struggling.
Despite her defiant stares and rebellious attitude, Arwins efforts continuously fell flat against the harsh gazes of the rough rcenaries.
Having grown up as nobility, neither could handle the raw vulgarity surrounding them.
Suddenly, soone shouted,
Red Flas sure is dumb. Theyve taken in Paelyun-a as their reward!
Ner felt tears welling up.
She knew that they referred to her when they said Paelyun-a.
It was a phrase she had heard countless tis from her siblings.
There was a ti when she believed it was her na.
....
Unable to hold back her tears, she rose from her seat.
Baran and Shawn were taken aback by her actions.
White Tail! Where are you going?
Running away like your coward husband?!
The rcenaries, emboldened by her reaction, threw even sharper insults.
More than any words, the comnt about a coward husband deeply shook Ner.
But she couldnt retort, fearing her tears would spill.
Quickly, she dashed into the tent.
Cheers grew louder as they watched her flee.
****
The eting went on late into the night.
Yet, nothing had been decided.
It couldnt be helped. This was a mont to simply ascertain everyones goals.
Everyone cautiously observed each other, assessing what they could gain.
True negotiations would comnce either tomorrow or the day after, once the full scope of the confrontations had unfolded.
It was a slow dance, gauging each others scale and negotiating accordingly.
Rather than negotiating out of fear from rumors, it was more accurate to directly assess and judge the opponent.
This was all the more reason the rcenaries engaged so fiercely in confrontations.
Shall we wrap it up here?
As the night grew late, Adam Hyung suggested.
I too felt it was a good idea.
I was exhausted from the constant scrutinizing stares of other rcenary groups vice-captains.
Not just the vice-captains, the captains were the sa.
Clearly, I stood at the center of the negotiations.
In particular, Shifre continued to glare at with a displeased look.
At Adam Hyungs words, people began to rise from their seats.
Lets continue our discussion tomorrow.
The leader of the Dragonian group, Kan, spoke.
He was the first to leave his seat.
Accompanying him was his younger brother, a dragonian, whom I heard was the vice-captain.
Following them, the captain of the Dalsaseum group, Icahn, and his vice-captain.
After that, Shifre rose from her seat.
Just as Adam Hyung was about to leave, Shifre said to ,
...Youll regret not choosing .
...
Caught off guard by her comnt, I paused to look at her.
My eyes t with Turo, who stood behind her.
...
Without responding, I followed Adam Hyung.
****
After the eting ended, we returned to the campsite where the moon hung high in the sky.
However, the atmosphere felt off.
A tense mood had already set in.
I knew wed be challenged, but I saw several mbers battered and bruised.
Just by looking at their faces, I could tell how fierce the confrontations had been.
From afar, Baran, along with Shawn and Jackson, approached.
I couldnt help but smirk seeing the approaching Shawns face.
He was covered in bruises.
...What happened to your face?
When I asked, Shawn smiled lightly and replied,
If you saw the face of my opponent, you wouldnt be asking that, vice-captain.
However, despite his words, there was a heavy undertone to Shawns deanor.
...What happened?
As I asked in the midst of that atmosphere, Baran clenched his teeth.
He said,
...I apologize.
.
.
.
I quickly returned to my quarters.
And the scene before made my heart sink.
...Sniff...sob...
Ner was shedding tears, her eyes covered.
Beside her, Arwin looked up at with concern.
Arwin too, seed deeply distressed.
...What happened?
I asked, but neither Arwin nor Ner replied.
Ner was clutching her tail.
Her hands were trembling.
Even without asking, I could feel the situation.
There were already many mbers sneering at us as we entered the quarters.
...Arwin.
Instead of Ner, who seed unable to answer, I asked Arwin for an explanation.
Hesitating for a mont, Arwin finally spoke.
...They relentlessly insulted Ner.
...
At that, anger boiled within . I could roughly imagine what Ner might have heard.
Im okay, but... Ner is...
Who did it?
After a brief silence, Arwin replied.
The Arak group and... the Dalsaseum group. Sotis mbers from the Dragonian group would also mock...
Before she could say more, Ner wiped her tears with her forearm.
With reddened eyes, she looked up at and said,
Sniff... I... Im fine, Berg.
...
I-Im Sorry, Crying is a little embarrassing but Im used to it. Its the sa thing Ive always heard.
...
...Its not like they were wrong. My tail is ugly, and I did take my mothers life...
I slowly bent down.
-Thump.
And then, I gently placed both my hands on Ners cheeks.
I felt the cold sensation of her chilled cheeks...
Wiping away the flowing tears with my thumb.
...
Arwin silently observed from the side.
My heart grew heavy.
...You always struggle with this issue, dont you?
I muttered that undeniable truth.
At those words, Ners lips began to quiver violently.
As if emotions she had been holding back erupted, she whispered,
I cant help it...
...
...Sob... Its my curse.
Ner gripped the hands I had placed on her cheeks.
But she didnt push them away.
Sob... I hate it too, Berg... Do you think I wanted to kill my mother? Is it my fault? Who would want this ugly worthless tail?
...
...I want to cut off this damned tail...
I bit my lip.
No matter what comforting words I offered, it seed impossible to heal this pain.
Moreover, just by comforting her now, it didnt an the problem would completely vanish.
Eventually, Ner would shed tears over this issue again, suffering just the sa.
I had already witnessed her in this state twice.
...Ner.
I softly caressed Ners cheek and called her na.
Ners eyes t mine.
Our gazes felt connected.
Dont talk about cutting off your tail.
But-
I said I liked it.
............
Ners tears montarily froze.
And as her tears ceased, I made my decision.
If that tail continues to be her weakness,
A source of her pain,
It was better to wear that vulnerability as a weapon.
To ensure no one could belittle her.
...Ill make sure no one ever looks down on you again.
I had experienced this before.
I knew better than anyone how to handle such situations.
...What?
As if not understanding, Ner blinked slowly.
She lightly grasped my hand that covered her face.
I gave her a reassuring smile.
Didnt I promise to protect you?
Ner couldnt respond to those words.
She just stared deeply into my eyes.
The End of The Chapter
[ TL: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the /readingpia
Join Our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community mbers: /invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]
Reviews
All reviews (0)